


Love Is A Battlegrid

by rinwins



Category: TOME: Terrain of Magical Expertise
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-13 00:45:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2130660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinwins/pseuds/rinwins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Flamey ambushes Kirb WITH FEELINGS (also, y'know, fire), plans for Alpha's well-being are made (we hope), and I take massive liberties with movesets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Is A Battlegrid

Ahh, solo sessions. Not that Kirb doesn’t enjoy hanging with his friends, it’s just sometimes a guy needs to blow off steam with some good old-fashioned chump beatdowns.

Which is why he’s  _really kind of irritated_  when, out of nowhere, a barrage of fireballs smokes the particular chump he’s fighting in the middle of the match.

“I was  _winning_ ,” he protests, as Flamegirl lands in the crater.

“And now that guy’s gone, so, looks like you won,” she says.

Kirb grits his teeth. “Just buzz off, will you? I don’t need your help.”

“I’m not here to  _help_  you, moron. We’re going to have a  _conversation_.”

“Yeah, as fun as that sounds, I’ve got a pretty full schedule beating down all these chumps. So no. Go away.”

“Damn it, Kirb, we are going to talk even if we have to fight while we do it.”

“ _Now_  you’re speaking my language. Bring it.”

“Battle grid?”

“Sure, if you want to make sure no one can save you.”

The grid rises around them. As they square off, Flamegirl says, “We need to talk about Alpha.”

“Ugh, pass. I’m not talking about your feelings while you try to set me on fire.” He deflects her first blast with the flat of his sword. “Or any other time.”

Flamey ducks Kirb’s rush and looses another volley after him. “Too late, the grid’s up. And it’s not  _my_  feelings that are the issue.”

“Oh come on, who  _else_ has a thing for that hedgehog-head? And more importantly, why do I care?”

“You-” The rest of her sentence is cut off by the wind-wall Kirb summons with his sword. She manages to burn through it long enough to toss out an arc of flame and a “Because-” before it closes again.

Then it opens and disperses, in a fireball and a gust, and at the center Flamey levels a glowing finger. “Because  _you’re_  the one I’m talking about,” she says.

Kirb drops and rolls and comes up looking totally stunned. Behind him, the fireball explodes against the grid wall. “That’s- what- you-  _rrrrrrrrrgh_ ,” he yells, launching himself forward.

Flamey sticks her tongue out and vaults out of the way. “Real mature,” she calls. A short salvo of little flames bursts from her hands. “Will you let me explain?”

“ _No._  Ew.” He can’t quite get a good attack angle, she’s moving too fast. “Stop projecting whatever weird fantasy onto me. Just because  _you’re_ Alpha’s fangirl-”

“I’m  _not_  his fangirl,” Flamey says, finally coming to a halt in front of him. He raises his sword. She levels her hand again, guarding. They watch each other. “I’m his friend, and so are you. And I know you care about him- in whatever way,” she adds, before Kirb can protest again. “Come on, Kirb, it’s  _obvious_.”

Kirb considers his response, but since all of his options are basically shouting, he decides to let the sword do the talking. He leaps forward again.

There’s a protracted close-quarters scuffle, which ends with Kirb on the ground and Flamey more or less sitting on him. The battle grid fades out.

“Now will you just listen to me?” Flamey says.

Kirb grumps. “You mean that wasn’t it?”

“Heck no. I hadn’t even got to the main point yet. You think I’d go to all this trouble just to make you admit you have feelings?”

“I admit nothing.”

“Whatever. Look. We have to stop fighting. Over Alpha, idiot,” she amends, seeing Kirb start to raise his eyebrows. “We both care about him and I don’t see how having two people looking out for him is a  _bad_  thing. God knows he probably needs it, with- you know-”

“Yeah, I know,” says Kirb.

“And neither of us can be around  _all_  the time,” Flamey finishes “So can we just… agree to share?”

“Hmph,” Kirb grumps. But he doesn’t actually say no.

“Good enough,” Flamey says, and lets him up.

Once he’s back on his feet, and they’ve- however grudgingly- shaken on it, though, she grabs his collar and pulls him practically off the ground.

“ _However_ ,” she says, fire in her eyes, “if I catch you macking on him, I will make what just happened look like a  _tickle fight_ , get it?”

“Got it,” Kirb manages.

“Good.” Flamey drops him. “Okay, have fun with the beatdowns! Later!”

Kirb looks around at empty rocky purple landscape. Everyone in the vicinity seems to have fled, from him or from the battle, either of which he’s willing to take the credit for. Just as well. Means no one was around to overhear the last part of that conversation.

He sheathes his sword and sets off in a random direction, sure he’ll find something. There’s no shortage of chumps in this game.


End file.
